Andrew Mitchell joined local beekeepers from the Sutton Coldfield and North Birmingham Branch of the Warwickshire Beekeepers Association at their annual Bar-Bee-Q, at the teaching apiary in Sutton Park.

Mr Mitchell regularly attends the annual Bar-Bee-Q, and takes a keen interest in how each season is going. He spoke to fellow guest about their successes and experiences this summer and was informed that there had been a lot of honey bee swarming activity this year.

Branch members have been out volunteering to collect swarms wherever possible and educate the public on honey bee, bumble bee and wasp identification and their benefits to the environment.

Andrew was particularly pleased to learn that the Branch regularly carry out activities in support of the charity Bees Abroad and that one member had collected over £2000 for the charity.

Following the barbeque, Mr Mitchell commented; “There are between 300-400 commercial beekeepers in the UK and around 40,000 people who keep bees purely as a hobby. Bees and other pollinators play an essential role in our food production and are vital to the diversity of our environment. I welcome the work the Sutton Coldfield & North Birmingham Branch of the Beekeepers Association has done over the last few years in helping educate people in understanding how important it is to protect bees.”

Photo:Mr Mitchell with County and Branch beekeepers who have over 220 years beekeeping experience between them.